I wasn't planning to interview Marie--I had initially set up an interview with her public relations person. Marie overheard this at the Marian Toy Fair booth--and she insisted on doing the interview herself! Despite how busy she was at Toy Fair, Marie tried to do as many press interviews as possible, since she felt she could best represent her line of dolls to the public.
I'm happy to report that Marie's instincts were right on the mark--after talking to Marie about her Marian line of dolls, including the newly revamped Magic Attic line, I was as enthusiastic about the dolls as Marie was. Her enthusiasm and delight in the dolls is infectious, and it became very clear to me that Marie Osmond simply loves dolls!
We started the interview with Marie showing me two new releases, Huggs and Kissy. Just look at the photo on the right of Marie holding Huggs and Kissy--her joy in these dolls just shines through. Marie is the artist that sculpted Huggs and Kissy (you can always tell a Marie sculpt by the tastefully placed black beauty mark right under the doll's left eye--just like Marie's). "Huggs and Kissy are our latest versions of our porcelain rag dolls--we are the original creators of porcelain rag dolls," said Marie "although they've been copied by other doll companies many times."
At this point, Marie darts off (Marie darts around to show me various dolls quite a bit during our interview, despite the exhortations of her staff and this reporter to sit down and rest a bit after signing multitudes of dolls for shop owners for several hours). We end up looking at the newly re-vamped Magic Attic Dolls. During the interview, I find out that Marie and I share a general abhorrence of dolls made for children that are oh-so-cool--dolls with low-slung jeans and trowels full of makeup. For Marie, the Magic Attic dolls are the ultimate play dolls for children. The Magic Attic dolls were designed by Robert Tonner, and together with Robert and Marie's input the dolls have been greatly updated.
One of the main changes for the line is that Marie will now write the books (like the American Girl dolls, the Magic Attic dolls have a series of educational books that chronicle their adventures. "Now, the books will have the girl's adventures really grab you," said Marie "The action will begin right at the start of the book, and they will delve into the backgrounds and personalities of the girls." Marie also told me that the philosophy behind the Magic Attic dolls encompassed "reading and imagination--what children SHOULD play with."
Another major change is that Rosa will now be Rose, a Hispanic girl. The other characters are Alison, who struggles with dyslexia, Megan from a divorced family, Keisha an African American, and Heather, who is Jewish. The dolls will now exclusively be sold through retailers, and not through direct marketing channels, as they have in the past, and as competitors are sold. Additionally, there will be new outfits and accessory packs with increased play value.
After spending considerable time exploring the new Magic Attic line, I ask Marie what her favorite dolls in the line are, and she darts off again. I actually think that in the course of the next 20 minutes, Marie almost points out all of her newly released dolls as favorites, but the following did stand out:
Hear, Speak, See No Evil: These are three little babies sitting on blocks, displaying the classic Hear, Speak, See No Evil hand motions. "I absolutely love these!" Marie exclaimed--and she absolutely did. I actually thought they were sort of, well, um, different, but by the time Marie and I were done, I thought they were adorable, must-have dolls!
Child's Play: This doll is number six in the popular Rose line
April Showers and Sweet Dreams: Two from the "These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things" line...these, and all dolls, it seems ARE Marie Osmond's favorite things.
